Sparks of Romance? (Part 3)

Bolt plodded back through the forest towards camp, paws dragging at the ground.  He had blown it.  REALLY blown it.  If he had a tail, it would be dragging in the dirt behind him.  It had been going so well...  Or...  Not terribly, at least...  But then...

Next to him, Bubbles had offered to walk him at least part way home, watching him in concern.  "Are you feeling any better?"

"Physically, a little..." he muttered without looking up.

The collared Vaporeon gently nudged his shoulder.  "Hey...  It's not your fault..."

"It kind of is..."

"Unless you did it on purpose, I don't think it was."

"Of course I didn't do it on purpose..."

"Then it's not your fault!  Stop beating yourself up over-"

"I didn't do it on purpose, but I still got sick on my new girlfriend!"

Bubbles winced slightly.  "...Look...  I'll try to talk to her.  You made her a beautiful necklace, you two were really starting to get along, you clearly feel awful about it..."

"No, she'll still stay far away from me..." he said certainly, still not looking at her.  "That's just the way my luck works..."

"Don't be like that, you'll find someone," she said cheerfully, bumping Bolt's shoulder slightly harder than she should have at this point.  He stumbled heavily, almost falling over, but catching himself in time.  What was wrong with him?  Normally, he could jump from one tree to another while running at full speed, even if there was a defining gap between them and he was in the thinnest, topmost, and most flexible branches.  Now he could barely move his paws right on solid ground?  Even apparently being sick, that shouldn't bother him.  What was wrong with him?

Bubbles made sure that he was all right before coming closer again.  "Sorry..."

"It's fine...  This is really throwing me off...  I might need a drink, I'm parched..."

"No water, Bolt," came another female voice from nearby, just as Espeon and Umbreon stepped out from behind a nearby bush.

Bolt's throat went dry from both thirst and embarrassment.  What were they doing so far from camp?  Bubbles, however, was far more polite.  "Oh.  Hello."  The couple nodded in greetings.  "You two know Bolt?"

"Of course," Espeon responded.  "We're in the same clan as he is."

"Oh...  I honestly thought it was just a whole pack of Jolteons!"

Espeon laughed in that amazing way that she did while Bolt just tried to hide the fact that he was going redder than Inferno's fur.  He was over Espeon...

Umbreon was smiling slightly, but still watching the new Pokemon.  "And you are?"

"I'm Bubbles.  A friend of Bolt's.  Well, a friend of a friend, really.  Why shouldn't he have water?"

Espeon instantly grew more serious, but it was Umbreon that spoke.  "...Bubbles, you should go home."

"What?  Why?"

Espeon answered.  "Almost everyone in our clan is sick.  We think something is poisoning the river, and I don't want to risk you getting sick if-"

Bolt finally spoke, interrupting her words.  "Wait, everyone's sick?"

Umbreon nodded once.  "Everyone except the two of us, Sunbeam, Moonlight, and Inferno."

Bolt's immediate thoughts were of Three and little Five.  The poor kits...  "...I have to go help..." he said, already preparing for a run.

The Vaporeon took a step closer, looking concerned.  "Bolt, you could barely walk earlier, you shouldn't be running!"

"I have to go!  Three and Five need someone to look after them!"  He didn't let anyone else say anything before he bolted off into the woods, back towards camp.  Forget his failed love life.  If Espeon and Umbreon couldn't be there, then he would.  Those five always came first.

Moonlight trotted alongside her older sister as they continued upriver, just as they had been doing for about two hours now.  Sunbeam was walking with her eyes closed and her split tail curled slightly around Moonlight's so that the Espeon wouldn't crash into any trees, trip over any rocks, walk into her sister, fall into the river, etc. as she cast all of her senses towards the river, trying to detect anything wrong with it.  Moonlight was getting slightly impatient, since that was all they had been doing for the last hour, but it was for the good of the clan...

"Nothing yet..." Sunbeam finally said, opening her eyes again to take a reality check.

Moonlight paused so that her sister could re-orient herself.  "I thought Splash said it couldn't be far."

"We have to be close by now."

Moonlight nodded curtly, then offered her tail again, muttering as Sunbeam anchored herself again.  "I swear to Arceus, if we missed it..."

"We didn't miss it, the plant life under the water is still wilting..."

Moonlight said nothing, just resuming walking slowly and being the lookout.  They were getting awfully far from camp...  And their parents had told them not to come this way when they were younger...  Oh well.  Any tough Pokemon that came at them, they could handle.  They had proven that multiple times.

Still, Moonlight couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking towards something they shouldn't be...  Apparently, Sunbeam felt the same way.  "...Sis, do you feel kind of weird?"

"Like we should turn back or something?"

"Yeah...  It's giving me the creeps..."

Moonlight lifted her nose to the air, about to respond, but froze instead, then addressed her sister in a harsh whisper.  "Sis.  Mightyena."

Sunbeam snapped to attention, ready to move.  She couldn't sense Dark Types, but she could still fight, especially if both she and Moonlight stayed together.  After a few tense seconds, however, when nothing happened, Moonlight crept forward.  It wasn't attacking them...  They were right in the open...

A howl from another Mightyena a fair distance ahead split the air, and the Mightyena that Moonlight had smelled bolted out of hiding, completely ignoring the two Eevees to run towards its packmate.  Moonlight watched it go, then glanced back at Sunbeam.  "...Was that just me, or was that weird?"

"Definitely weird," said the walking encyclopedia.  "It's like it was watching for something until that other Mightyena gave the alert.  That's not a natural behavior."

The shiny Umbreon looked at her sister, the question not needing to be asked aloud.  They were sent out for a reason, but something was up here.  Should they investigate?

A furious roar and a howl of pain rang out from where the Mightyena's howl had come, followed quickly by sounds of a massive fight.  Sunbeam spoke without taking her eyes off of the direction of the battle.  "...We should go check that-"

"Yeah," Moonlight said with a nod.  Something weird was going on, and Moonlight somehow sensed it could be connected to the river.  But what would a pack of Mightyenas acting strangely have to do with her sick clan?  And, she wondered as she and Sunbeam raced towards the sound of the commotion, why was that big, white human building she could see so far away from anything else that reeked of humans?

Sparks of Romance? (Part 2)

I followed Sunbeam's forked tail as it slipped through the undergrowth, trying to stay quiet.  I probably shouldn't have been doing this, but I had made the somewhat poor choice of promising the young Espeon that I would come with her to watch Bolt present his necklace to his new girlfriend.  Sunbeam never forgot a promise, and though I only admitted it to myself (but Sunbeam probably knew anyway), I did want to see what would happen.

I had to stop as my stomach cramped up again.  It had been doing that more and more recently...  Sunbeam paused and turned around as she sensed I wasn't following her, whispering quietly.  "Splash?  Are you okay?"

I only grunted quietly in response at first, but it started to go away after a few seconds.  "...Yeah...  My stomach's been bothering me for a few days...  And I'm really tired...  I think I have some kind of winter cold..."

She glanced back at her intended path.  "...I know I'm holding you to your promise and everything, but if you don't feel well-"

"I'm fine," I interrupted, shaking my head and scattering water droplets from my fins.  I could act normally again, but I still felt achy and exhausted, like I had just fought a hard battle, but I've done more in worse shape.  "Keep going.  I'm right behind you."

Sunbeam obviously saw right through my facade, but nodded and turned back around.  Part of the reason I had to go with her was that, if I turned back, she would still follow Bolt.  And since we found out that Buttercup belonged to a trainer (it made sense, wild Eevees like us were rare), I wasn't taking any chances.

A few minutes later, Sunbeam's thoughts entered my mind.  I see Uncle Bolt...  And that's the human den where Buttercup lives!  Come on!  We can watch from over here!

Slow down, wait for me... I thought back as she prepared to dash towards a lookout point.  Heeding my words, she waited patiently until both of us reached a bush that gave us a good view.

Bolt was approaching the human den, leaf-wrapped package in his teeth as he looked up at the fence, then bounded up easily.  He stayed on the top, looking inside the human's territory when a feminine voice spoke from around the far corner of the fence.  "Bolt?"

The Jolteon turned around, then smiled and jumped back down, putting his gift on the ground upon landing.  "Buttercup!  I thought you'd be in there," he said as a female Jolteon stepped around the corner.  She was shorter than Bolt, and had more weight on her (probably from not having to catch her own food, I though before I could stop myself [Sunbeam tried not to giggle]), but I could see why my clan member liked her.  She was pretty, with striking green eyes and a small, confident smile.

"We can leave whenever we want.  That's why I said I could meet you in the forest, if you wanted to."

"No, my clan might- wait, we?"

She smirked a little at his expression.  "Yes, we.  Blossom and Bubbles wanted to meet you, too."  Hearing their names, a Flareon with a flower behind her ear and a Vaporeon with an ocean-patterned collar followed Buttercup around the corner of the fence.

Bolt instantly looked more uncomfortable.  "Oh...  Hi...  Are-Are you all sisters...?"

Bubbles answered.  "No.  But our trainer would like to think we are."

"We're just friends!" Blossom said with a cheerful tilt of her head.

All Bolt could manage in response was, "...oh..."

Buttercup rolled her eyes with the same smirk as Bolt fumbled for words.  "Besides.  Three girls in one litter?  What are the odds of that happening..." she said with a trace of sarcasm.  I could see why Bolt liked her; she was spunky, but at the same time...

Bolt pounced on the possible conversation topic without thinking.  "Actually, a friend of mine had a litter of five with three girls!"

"A friend of yours?" Buttercup asked skeptically.

"Yeah!  An Espeon I used to..."  I winced.  Come on, Bolt, change the subject...

Bubbles apparently wanted the wild Jolteon to succeed, quickly asking a question before her Electric Type friend could turn Bolt away.  "What's in the leaves?"

"Oh!  Right!" Bolt said, picking up his package again and placing it in front of Buttercup.  "I made this for you.  ...Blossom has a flower and Bubbles has her collar, so I thought I'd give you something to wear..."

He finished talking as the female Jolteon unwrapped the bundle, lifting the necklace inside with her claws.  The gift was very well-made.  Bolt had used some of Clover's vines to weave everything together, since they would never fade and were next to impossible to break, holding the three gems in place with tree sap, the Electric Gem the obvious centerpiece.  It was clearly made by paw, and it was very beautiful, especially for an art project from Bolt, who barely had the patience to wait until prey from the hunting patrols had been laid out.  He must really like this girl.

Blossom gasped with a smile as Buttercup examined the necklace.  "Wow...  It's beautiful!"  Bolt started glowing a little bit at the praise, even though it wasn't from the Jolteon herself.

She did finally speak, though.  "...Did you make this?"  The smirk was gone, replaced by a genuine smile.  It looks like Bolt had saved his hide from his earlier slip-up.  Or, at least, Bubbles had.

Bolt nodded proudly.  "Do you like it?"

"I do..." she said, slipping it over her head.  "Thank you, Bolt."

My vision suddenly blurred before I heard Bolt's response, but I couldn't make out words; everything was muffled, like I was listening from underwater.  My stomach cramped up again, at least twice as painful as the last time, and my throat felt impossibly dry.  My legs buckled, suddenly too tired to support my own weight, and my vision continued to haze until I was seeing double.  Sunbeam was by my side instantly, trying to figure out what was wrong.  I heard her calling my name, telling me to focus, but I could barely see her clearly anymore.  Finally, I felt myself being lifted off the ground via telekinesis just before I blacked out.

Splash.

The familiar voice touched my mind, trying to wake me up.  I wasn't ready to get up yet...  I was too tired...

Splash.  I know you're in there...

Espy...  Go away, it's too early for this...

It's the middle of the day, Splash.  Use Recover.

I'm too tired...

Recover, Splash.  I don't think it's safe for you to soak in the pond.

That got my attention.  Summoning what little energy I had, I forced myself to use Recover, instantly feeling at least a bit better and more aware.  I was lying on the floor, not in my den.  I could smell the other Eevees nearby, meaning I was in camp...  What happened?

You passed out.  Sunbeam brought you back.  I'm giving you a Sitrus Berry, eat it, please.

I did my best as I felt the berry touch my nose, but the best I could do was swallow some of the juice.  It made my throat feel better for a few seconds, but nothing else changed, and soon, I felt just as thirsty again.  Being a Vaporeon, that was cause for concern.  Didn't help much...  Need water...

No water.  I don't think it's safe.

What?  Why?

There was a pause.  ...You weren't the only one that passed out.  Surf and Clover did, too, and everyone but Umbreon, Sunbeam, Moonlight, Inferno, and myself seems sick, too, at least to some degree.

Surf...

He was the first...  We put him in the pond, hoping that he would recover from the water, but he hasn't.  He's just gotten worse.  Snow and Umbreon pulled him out just as Sunbeam came back with you.  His skin is very dark blue, and it doesn't feel as smooth as it should.

It took me a few seconds to process that, but then it all made sense.  Vaporeons' skin changed color from exposure to different water types.  Aqua blue Vaporeons meant that the water was pure.  Even when Surf had been living in the ocean before I met him, him in salt water and me in fresh, the difference between our coloration was barely noticeable.  If his skin turned dark blue after soaking in the pond, that meant something wasn't right.

My other clan members' symptoms fit the theory, too.  Clover, a Grass Type, was reliant on fresh water just like any plant.  The three Eevees that were most dependent on pure water were the ones that were hit hardest and fastest, but since everyone else in the clan had been drinking the same water, it was beginning to affect them, too.  Inferno wouldn't be affected yet, since he needs to drink a lot less water than the rest of us, being a Fire Type, Umbreons have good constitutions, since their fur is slightly toxic, and Espeons have a natural resistance to...

...Poison.

I had to test my theory.  Espy, try a Pecha Berry.  My friend granted my request within a few seconds, squeezing the juice into my mouth.  The change was immediate.  I suddenly had enough energy to open my eyes and sit up, though I still couldn't stand.  "Thank you, Espy..." I said quietly, my voice still rasping slightly.

"Of course, Splash."  She sat down next to me.  "Anything I can do to help."

"Call the healthy clan members here...  Did Bolt come back?"

"No, he's still out..."  She called over her shoulder.  "Splash is awake!  She wants to talk to anyone who's fit!"  

The four Eevees in question bounded over as quickly as they could, Sunbeam smiling worriedly at me.  "How are you feeling, Splash?"

"Not great..." I answered honestly.  "Listen.  I think something's poisoning the pond."

"What!?" Inferno, Umbreon, and Moonlight shouted at the same time, but Sunbeam nodded after a second, either following my thought process on her own or following it directly through me.

"It makes sense..." the young Espeon said quietly.  "But we checked the pond right before Clover passed out.  We're not Vaporeons, but we couldn't find anything wrong with it."

"Besides," said Inferno, "didn't you say the pond is always clean?"

"Yes," I said tiredly, letting my eyes drift closed again, but staying awake.  The Pecha Berry was wearing off...  This must be bad...  "The river flows through the pond...  Little cracks in the side...  Fresh water flows in...  Washes any dirty water out..."

"Then it must be the river," Umbreon concluded.  "If something is poisoning the river, the water coming into camp would already be contaminated."

"Exactly..."  It was getting herd to stay awake again...

Espeon gave me a quick dose of mental sharpness, something her daughter wasn't experienced enough to do yet.  "What do you want us to do, Splash?"

I thought for a minute.  "...Inferno, stay here...  Use whatever Pecha Berries are left to get Clover awake...  So she can grow more...  It's only a temporary solution, but..."

"Got it," the Flareon said with a serious nod.  "What if other Pokemon come here because they drank the water and they need our help?"

"Treat them, too...  If you can...  Tell them not to drink...  Espy, Umbreon, you two have to find a clean source of water...  And figure out a way to get it here..."  They'd need Espeon's teleportation to get back and forth, and while Sunbeam was getting better at it, she could only move herself.

"What about us?" Moonlight asked, just as serious.

"You and Sunbeam...  Look for whatever's poisoning the water...  The water in the pond...  comes from the part of the river... near the Beech Trees...  Has to be upriver from there...  But it can't be too far..."

"Got it," both sisters said simultaneously.

"Good...  I think I'm going to fall asleep again..."

"We'll hurry," Espeon assured me.  I heard four sets of retreating pawsteps just before I slipped back into blackness.

Sparks of Romance? (Part 1)

I woke up as the sunlight that filtered through the pond touched my prism rock, casting a rainbow directly at my face.  It got me awake, but that didn't mean I had to like it...  I still felt exhausted...  and my stomach kind of hurt...  But that might have been from stuffing myself full of celebratory Magikarp when Bolt and Radioactivity had returned.  Nevertheless, Bolt had gotten that rock for me or Snow Day for a reason.  It was time to get up.

Half-falling into the cool water, I tried to pretend I wasn't disappointed that Surf wasn't there waiting for me.  He usually was...  Then where was he?

I increased my pace to jump out of the water, landing neatly on my paws.  Immediately, everyone in the clan turned to look at me, some looking guilty and others just surprised.  I tilted my head.  "...What's going on here?"

Inferno shook off his surprise first.  "Oh, Sunbeam, Moonlight, and Radioactivity were just going to have a 3-way battle."

"This was not my idea..." Radioactivity muttered.

I sighed.  "I thought we were done placing bets on clan battles?"

Umbreon spoke, looking sideways at Bolt and Inferno.  "We are.  These two are not."

I looked up at Surf, who was standing atop the announcement rock.  "And you?  What are you doing up there?"

"Making sure no one actually gets hurt."

Clover spoke from the ground next to the rock.  "But if someone does get hurt, Surf'll call the fight, and I have all of my supplies right here."

I sighed.  "Whose idea was this?"

"Bolt's," Inferno responded quickly and loudly.  Bolt gave his best friend/betrayer a large shock.

Tiny Five flicked her tail.  "Uncle Bolt and Inferno bet their Fire and Electric Gems!"

Moonlight glanced back at her younger sister.  "Do you even know what betting is?"

"Yes!  ...A little!" Five shouted back indignantly.

I tried to hold back a smile.  "That's two bets...  Who has the third?"  Most Eevees' eyes went to the announcement rock.  My mate met my gaze head-on, that mysterious look in his eyes probably meaning that he was up to something, and knowing him, that something probably had to do with me.  "...Why?" I asked, a slight puzzled smile on my face just from looking at him.

"I have my reasons," he responded with a shrug.

I couldn't say anything else to him.  I never could.  "...Fine.  As long as no one gets hurt!"

Sunbeam smiled brightly, probably reading my mind.  "We've set ground rules!  Only three moves each.  No Future Sight, no Phantom Force, no radioactivity poisoning.  We'll be fine!"

"Okay..." I said as I padded to the other side of the announcement rock.

Surf raised his tail.  "Battlers, ready!"  Sunbeam, Moonlight, and Radioactivity all stood and squared their stances, forming a triangle, sister against sister against brother.  Sunbeam waved her tail lazily over her back, Moonlight just stood frozen and poised to move, and Radioactivity twitched his paws a bit as his fur crackled slightly.  He was imitating a shiny Jolteon to prevent hurting his sisters (and possibly bystanders), but a very slight aura betrayed his hidden excitement.  Surf finally slapped his tail to the rock as he shouted, "GO!"

Moonlight immediately pounced towards Radioactivity, who bounced away just as quickly.  Sunbeam took advantage of her younger sister's distraction to jump close and swipe her claws on Moonlight's flank with Quick Attack, then teleported away before Moonlight could retaliate.  The shiny Umbreon changed targets, chasing after her sister now, who only had the skill to teleport once before resting.  Sunbeam was still faster, though, and this gave Radioactivity a chance to use Charge, preparing for an attack.

I bounded up next to Surf as the chase went on.  "Who'd you put your Water Gem on?"

"Sunbeam."

"Really?"

"Radioactivity's the fastest, Moonlight hits the hardest, and Sunbeam has speed, power, and brains."

"And a type disadvantage."

"That's why Inferno bet on Moonlight.  She's the strongest.  But battles aren't always about raw power."

"Says the macho Vaporeon..."

"To the unfairly powerful Vaporeon with an impossibly diverse moveset."

"...Fair enough."

He gave me a teasing smile and rubbed my fin as we both looked back at the fight.  It looked like Surf had been right.  Both Sunbeam and Radioactivity saw Moonlight as the main threat, and so both were attacking her.  Moonlight was fast and had amazing reflexes, but so did her siblings, and they could run faster.  If Moonlight landed a hit, they were in trouble, but as long as they could hit and fade...

Something was going on, though.  Moonlight caught a break, landing a lucky hit on Radioactivity with Dark Pulse, which threw him off balance.  Sunbeam had the perfect opportunity to use Psyshock on her brother and make it a one-on-one fight, but instead, she darted after Moonlight and struck her with Quick Attack again, then used Protect to block the Shadow Ball aimed at her.  The change in attack flow gave Radioactivity a chance to get up and recharge.  It was hard to tell, but Moonlight was getting tired.  Did Sunbeam want Radioactivity in the fight just to be sure?

Moonlight finally did drop out of the fight, thanks to a well-timed Volt Switch from Radioactivity when the shiny Umbreon was off balance from chasing her Psychic sister.  Snow and Clover quickly dove in to help get Moonlight out of the battle zone, despite her annoyed protests that she was fine.  Inferno looked like he might explode.

My suspicions rose further when Sunbeam and Radioactivity stared each other down, both panting heavily.  The scales seemed to be tipped towards Sunbeam.  She would have ample warning to use Protect, since Radioactivity had to use Charge before each attack, she could read her brother's mind, and despite her age, like her mother, she was a very powerful Psychic.  One well-aimed Psyshock could knock out the faux-shiny easily.  Instead, however, the dance resumed.  As a poorly timed Protect led to her being hit with Shock Wave, I wondered if maybe she wasn't reading his mind to make the fight more balanced, but she was still much more experienced than that...

As Radioactivity landed another attack with Volt Switch, this time, knocking her down, I knew what was happening.  Umbreon's narrowed eyes confirmed it.  She was telling him what to do.  Sunbeam was purposefully throwing the fight.  But why?  Surf showed no reaction when Sunbeam was helped to the side by Snow and Clover, leaving Radioactivity victorious.  Bolt, however, was a very different story.

A few minutes later, Bolt was about done flaunting his victory while I was helping Clover and Snow make sure all 3 siblings were all right.  "How does that feel?" I asked Sunbeam as I squeezed Rawst Berry juice over one of her friction burns (earned when she slid across the ground from the force of Radioactivity's last attack).

"Much better...  Thank you, Splash."

"Sure," I responded, looking over at where Snow and Clover were helping Radioactivity and Moonlight respectively.  One had a much more willing patient than the other...

"I'm fine, Clover, really."

"Moonlight, please sit still..."

"Stop worrying about me and worry about how your leaves are wilting..."

"They're not wilting, it's just the cold...  It happens every fall..."  But she did sound more tired than she did earlier.

I shook my head and drew my attention back to Sunbeam, leaning a bit closer.  "So, Sunbeam..."

"Why did I throw the battle?" she whispered back quietly.

"Wow, you have no reservations about mind reading, do you."

"No, not really," she said with a small smile.  "And I helped Radioactivity because Bolt wanted the gems for something."

"He does?  Why?"

She snuck a glance at the older Jolteon.  "...Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course I can..." I whispered, following her gaze.

"He's going to make a necklace.  For a girl Jolteon he met named...  Buttercup?"

I had never heard the name before, but Bolt?  Making a necklace?  For a girl?

"He's going to give it to her in three days..."

I gave her a critical look.  "Why are you telling me this?"

She looked away innocently.  "...I was kind of hoping to follow him...  ...And if you were with me, we could pretend we were hunting or something..."

I tried to say no.  Bolt's private life was just that.  Private.  ...But I did want to know...  Especially if this was him finally getting over Espeon, I thought before I could stop myself.  Sunbeam either didn't hear or didn't react.  Finally, I gave in.  "...Fine.  But just this once."

"Yes!" she cheered quietly.

I tried not to feel guilty that I was letting my kit-like curiosity overtake me, but still...  Bolt finally looking for love again?  This, I had to see.

With a Spark and a Buzz (Part 3)

Radioactivity crept towards the humans' building complex, trying to remember how to get where.  Zapdos had flown overhead a few times with Radioactivity perched on his back this time (Best.  Experience.  EVER.) so that both of them could make a map in their heads.  After a few passes with Radioactivity quietly wondering how he missed the electrical cracks and pops the Legendary's wings gave when he flew with him the first time, Zapdos had explained the plan.  Radioactivity wasn't sure he liked it, but it sounded like it would work...

"Power storage...  Power storage..." Radioactivity whispered to himself as he trotted quietly between buildings.  "It has to be somewhere nearby..."  An open building looked promising, so he dashed inside as quickly as he could, but slow enough so that he could stay quiet.  Luckily, being quiet was one of his strong suits.

This HAD to be the place.  The inside of the building looked unreal.  The main focus of the room was something that resembled a giant battery, with lots of wires and cables connecting both to a glass dome directly underneath the battery and the numerous cages around the room, most of which had Electric Types trapped inside.  Radioactivity could only stare at first, but snapped back to attention when a Raichu in a nearby cage spoke quietly.  "...Who are you...?"  He sounded exhausted.

The faux-shiny Jolteon stopped, sneaking closer as he answered.  "I'm Radioactivity.  I'm going to help you get out."

The Raichu nodded weakly.  "Thank you...  They're draining all of our power..."

"What?" Radioactivity asked, horrified.

"They're using it...  For something...  Any time we make so much as a spark..."  Radioactivity looked back at the massive battery.  If Zapdos was right, adding his buzz to that thing would cause the system to fail, but he didn't want to risk getting these poor Pokemon hurt because of it...

Radioactivity suddenly remembered his and Bolt's pit stop at Ecruteak City.  "...Okay.  I'm going to try something.  Touch the wire that connects to that thing in the middle, but don't use any electricity.  Tell the other Pokemon to do the same.  Just be quiet!"

The Raichu nodded, lifting his tail and touching the tip to the wire, then leaning over and whispering to the Pokemon next to him to do the same.  Radioactivity watched for a few seconds as word started to spread around the room, the energy from the previously defeated Pokemon slowly becoming more hopeful.  The younger Jolteon smiled.  He did that.  He couldn't make other Pokemon feel only uncomfortable.  His presence was making them happy now...  But only if his plan actually worked.

Bounding to the glass dome in the center of the room, Radioactivity tried to quell his fears.  It wasn't hard to figure out how this worked...  and the door was open...  He swallowed his anxiety and stepped inside.  Just a single radioactive charge...  No big deal.  It should force the electrical energy out to try and compensate for the new energy coming in.  At least, that's how Zapdos explained it.  Neither of them had known whether this would work at all...  But he had to do something.

He pushed all of his energy into the glowing aura that hummed around his fur, then forced every ounce of it into a tight beam and shot it straight up.  "Come on..." he muttered, gritting his teeth.  "Keep going...!"  So focused on overloading the machine, he didn't keep track of just how much energy he was using until his vision started to haze, he swayed on his paws, and then he collapsed on the floor and passed out.

Radioactivity woke back up with a jolt as something blasted him with electricity, causing him to leap to his paws, fur bristled and sparks of both electricity and radioactivity jumping around his fur.  At least his glow was back, too...

His attacker/helper jumped back.  "Easy, there, Buzz!  Just snapping you out of it!"

He shook his head out, looking at the other Pokemon in shock.  "Uncle Bolt!?"

"Yeah!  The Electric Types that you freed are starting a revolution!  They're fighting off the humans!"

"Really?" Radioactivity said with a growing smile.  They had done it!

Bolt grinned.  "Your new friend got me out of my cage.  He mentioned teaching you how to be a Jolteon, and he was really worried when you didn't come out."

"Zapdos..." Radioactivity whispered again.  The Legendary Thunderbird Pokemon had been worried about him?  "Where is he?"

"Outside, helping to fight the humans.  You charged enough?"

"I think so..."

"Good!  Come on!"  Bolt didn't even wait for his nephew to respond before blasting outside again in a familiar, crackling yellow blur.  Radioactivity smiled, then dashed after him, emerging into the sunlight to complete and utter chaos.  Thunderbolts were flying everywhere, some with weak charges to re-energize teammates, others with as much power as they could pack into them.  Several flew back and forth from the sky, where Zapdos was circling overhead, firing a staggering amount of attacks of his own, but also powering Electric Types that needed it when he spotted them.  Many of them were returning the favor, making sure the Thunderbird Pokemon stayed in the air and leading the attack.

Bolt jumped headlong into the fray, firing Thunder, Thunderbolt, and Lava Plume at any trainer that he saw, switching tactics to Extreme Speed when facing a Ground Type.  Luckily, most of the Pokemon seemed to know at least one move that wasn't Electric...  And if they didn't, they'd swap with someone who did.

Suddenly, Radioactivity heard Zapdos cry out in fury, except the Legendary himself hadn't opened his beak.  Without warning, two Zapdoses rose into the air, flying at high speeds towards the real Legendary.  Zapdos himself gave a furious call.  "HOW DARE YOU USE DITTOS TO IMITATE ME!" he thundered, sweeping his wings forward to launch a wicked Zap Cannon at one of the impostors, his attack finding its mark, but only slowing one of them down.  One, he could handle easily, but two?  Someone had to do something!

Radioactivity looked around desperately, but the only thing the Electric Types on the ground could do was give the real Zapdos more energy to fight.  If the fight became physical, which, since Zapdos had mentioned knowing Drill Peck, it would, there wasn't much anyone could do.  If Zapdos fell, so would the rest of the Electric Types.  Some might escape, but not Zapdos.  It would be over for him.

Unless Radioactivity did something about it.

He looked for height.  The tallest thing around was the building...  He just hoped that it would be tall enough.  Scanning the chaos quickly, Radioactivity spotted a levitating Magnezone and dashed towards it.  "Sorry, I need a lift!  I need to get on top of the building!  Hurry!"

Though seeming a bit confused at his request, the Magnezone floated low enough for Radioactivity to jump on top of it, then slowly rose into the air until the glowing Jolteon could make the second jump to the rooftop on his own.  "Thank you!" he called before turning back to the trio of Zapdoses.  He could tell which one was real based on the direction of the attacks, but they were still too high up for Radioactivity to move his energy to the fakes.  That would weaken them, and Zapdos could easily fight them off.  But they were flying too high...  Radioactivity couldn't move his glow that far!

Bolt's shout came from below.  "Radioactivity!?  What are you doing!?"

"I can't reach the fake Zapdoses!" he called back without removing his gaze from the aerial battle.

Instead of responding, Bolt fired a weak Thunderbolt at Zapdos, then focused and launched a much stronger Thunder at one of the fakes, making it flinch and giving the real Zapdos a second to breathe, but it barely did any damage.  Radioactivity could only watch as Zapdos started to get pushed back, even with the second that Bolt had bought him.  There was nothing he could do...

Wait.  If Bolt could reach them, why couldn't he?  Because you can't use Thunderbolt, his mind said quietly.  Radioactivity tried to shut it out, an idea coming to him.  A crazy idea.  But it was the only thing he had.

Squaring his stance and using Charge like Zapdos had taught him, the glowing Jolteon focused on summoning both his electricity AND his radioactivity, forcing the two together.  "One..."  He tried to aim and direct the energy, rather than just throw it out around him.  "Two..."  He gritted his teeth as the combined power threatened to overwhelm him.

"THREE!" he shouted, somehow firing a radioactive Thunderbolt that struck one of the fake Zapdoses squarely in the back.  The Ditto seized up, glowing and crackling, before it plummeted to the ground, dropping out of the fight.  Radioactivity swayed on his paws, decidedly yellow-furred and without power of either kind, watching as Zapdos gained a second wind, raining blows onto the other Ditto until it, too, fainted.

Radioactivity couldn't hold himself up any more, collapsing for the second time, but remaining conscious as he watched the fight finally swing towards a decisive victory.  They had done it.  Zapdos flew in his direction, landing heavily on the rooftop beside him.  "Well done, Radioactivity."  The young Jolteon smiled weakly, hearing Zapdos's last three words before he fell asleep.

"You did it."